The Spitfire PA-944 Documentary

AWESOME!

That period of time is so amazing, the logistics, the data, the manufacturing, the overall productivity and advancement of the whole industrialized world is staggering. And for the young guys of that era, what an experience as shown in this great little film. My father and all his buddies had some incredible experiences going all over the world and seeing stuff. And like the guy in this film, just nice guys.

Thanks for posting, I went to a special airshow at Duxford in 1999 called the Spitfire airshow where 21 spitfires flew off the grass that day.

 

Every pilot should fly a Spitfire at least once... the sweetest airplane...

Wonderful.

 

I flew with an ex-Eagle Squadron pilot in 1947 who owned a Culver Cadet and he said that it flew like a little Spitfire...almost. I also flew with an ex-Dutch Airforce pilot who flew Spitfires and he had nothing but adulation for the airplane. I asked him about landing procedures and he said that a circular approach was imperative so that you could keep the strip in sight. As you came around to final you lined it up, came back on power, added some back pressure, kept the proper airspeed, and landed. Sight over the nose was minimal.

 

This show I attended at Duxford in May 1998 (not 99) has to have been one of the best you could dream up. Here is the inside page of the Program I bought that day.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

One of the photo's I took that day with a crappy Kodak 1 use panoramic camera, I did wait a few years to develop it though. There are 4 P51 Mustangs in this shot, the new 8th air force museum hangar in the distance and further down the flightline 21 Spitfires that flew that day. Once in a life experience to see them lift off from grass.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86552444@N05/9355299142/sizes/k/in/photostream/
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

btw here is the bio of the other guy mentioned in the film, could easily be the subject of a movie, 36 missions in Vietnam as a major general and almost age 50.

Gen Robert James Dixon (1920 - 2003) - Find A Grave Memorial